Paper Moon
by prouvairing
Summary: What would have happened if Prince Zuko had actually managed to find the Avatar -before a certain Waterbender did? "The first contact he'd had with Zuko hadn't been exactly friendly" -  Kataang, Zuko&Aang bromance
1. See you in your dreams,

**A/N: **I've had this plotbunny in my head for quite a while, I must say... It's been hopping there, becoming bigger and bigger.  
>And it's finally here!<br>I think this is the first time in a long time that I start a longfic with an actual plot, without having it finished already. That's a risk. But maybe it's a risk I want to take.

So the basic plot revolves around one thing: What if Zuko had actually found Aang before Katara?  
>In my version, Aang, not knowing anything about the war, wasn't just as wary as he should've been, and after being taken to the Fire Nation, well... Let's just say he didn't receive a very truthful version of what happened during his absence.<p>

It was originally meant to be a oneshot, then it slowly escalated, and now it should be around ten chapters, plus Epilogue. If my plotbunny doesn't go crazy again.  
>It's rated for safety and there will be some serious Kataang in later chapters (you know how I am!)<p>

Well, I'll just stop ranting. I will try to explain everything through narration, but if any point seems obscure, just let me know and I will clarify.

Also, thanks a million to **_Snows of Yester-Year_** for offering to beta this little thing. You're a real life-saver, dear!

* * *

><p><strong>1.<strong>  
><em>See you in your dreams<br>Even if they are nightmares_

"No, no! You have to widen your stance!"

"I have no time to widen my stance if you keep shooting fireballs at me!"

"You have to be quick! Spirits, I thought you were an Airbender!"

Aang rolled his eyes and emitted a frustrated sigh. He set his feet further apart from each other and glared up at his companion. "Happy?"

Zuko regarded him crtically and nodded, assuming a Firebending stance of his own.

"Don't get snappy at me, I'm just trying to help."

"Yeah, I know," Aang answered, quickly dodging the sequence of fireballs coming his way. As the last one was about to hit him square in the face, he parted it with a swift motion, using his own Firebending.

"That was good," granted Zuko, stopping briefly and stretching back his sore arms. "But you have to be more aggressive. You play on defense too much."

Aang let himself fall to the ground, resting his arms on his knees and breathing deeply. "I feel like we've been on this forever," he lamented, glaring at the stone floor. Zuko looked at him sympathetically.

"More like weeks, really," the Firebender corrected half-heartedly.

Aang raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, if a certain _someone_ had agreed to let me begin my training earlier..."

Zuko looked away in hearing the Airbender's words, feeling his stomach twist unpleasantly. It hadn't been his decision, to delay Aang's training so much. In all truth, not much of what he did these days was his decision.

Aang wasn't really waiting for an answer, as he lay down on the floor. The stone under his back was hot, warmed by the bright and unavoidable summer sun.

He had pushed hard, for months, to be able to begin Firebending, but he had soon found out that it was no picnic.

It had been tedious and tiring, especially at first, with all those terribly _boring _breathing exercises... And then he had managed to send a flock of maids running for their lives, having lost control of his fire due to impatience.

He glanced up at his companion, flashing him a pleading look with his wide, grey eyes.

"Five minutes break?"

Zuko rolled his eyes, but agreed, sitting down in front of him, on the floor.

"Just five. We still have to go through the next set."

Aang sighed in relief and Airbended a small breeze to sweep past them, in order to cool down his burning skin.

Their heavy breathing and the chirping of a few birds were the only sounds filling the courtyard they'd chosen to train in. So far into the summer, the Fire Nation Royal Palace was fairly quiet and devoid of life, especially outdoors.

Aang could bet that everyone was hiding in their shaded rooms, windows open to try and coax a nonexistant current to enter. He grinned a little as his own personal breeze ruffled the hair he'd absentmindedly let grow during the past year.

_Almost_ a year, since it had been Winter when Zuko's ship had crashed in the Iceberg, at the South Pole, freeing the icy cocoon that had been Aang's hiding place for over a hundred years.

The first contact he'd had with Zuko hadn't been exactly friendly, he remembered with a half-smirk. So much had changed since then. Fortunately, General Iroh had managed to calm everyone's nerves and gave them a chance to talk like civilized people. Then, they had traveled towards the Fire Nation, and everything had been explained to him, the loss of his people, the war between the Nations...

Pain shot through his temple, making him grimace and raise a hand to rub the stinging spot.

"Still that headache?" asked Zuko, interrupting his useless search for clouds in the sky. He regarded Aang with a concerned eye.

The Avatar nodded and sighed. "I'm pretty sure it's the sleep deprivation," he said, tangling one arrowed hand in his hair.

Zuko shuffled his feet uneasily, wondering what he could do and especially if he _should_ do anything to... Oh, he didn't even know! Comfort him, he presumed.

He'd never been good at comforting people.

"So, uhm... You can't sleep?" he asked lamely, scratching the back of his head.

"Not through the whole night," Aang answered, eyes still closed and fingers rubbing circles on his forehead. "I have... nightmares, if you could call them that."

A weird sinking feeling, like the shadow of a bad omen, settled in Zuko's stomach. "Nightmares about what?"

Aang looked up at him and made a wide, frustrated gesture with his hand. "That's the point! I have no idea! I just wake up with this horrible feeling... Like there's something I've forgotten, or overlooked and it's very important that I remember. But all I can recall it's shadows and whispers." His own voice faded to one, as his gaze stared in the distance.

Zuko looked at him in silence for a moment, then sighed and stood up, offering the Airbender his hand.

"Come on. Let's forget about training for today; you obviously need a nap. And I promised Mai I would go looking for her this afternoon."

Aang let Zuko pull him upright and his pensive expression faded in favor of a sly smirk.

"Oh, really?" he wiggled his eyebrows at the Fire Prince, who in turn regarded him slightly disgusted.

"What?"

"_Nothin'_," said Aang, turning around swiftly and picking up his discarded shirt. "You're right, you know?" He let out an exaggerated yawn and rubbed at his eyes. "I totally need a nap. And you should totally just go have fun!" His smirk broadened as he emphasized on the word _fun_.

Zuko regarded him in disbelief.

_Thirteen-year-olds shouldn't be allowed to be this allusive_, he thought with an uneasy groan.

"What in the name of Agni are you talking about? We'll be just hanging out and-... _Oh, quit smiling like that!_" he ended up yelling in frustration, as the young Airbender backed away, his arms raised in surrender.

"Alright, alright," he laughed, turning around to walk up the marble steps that led inside. He threw Zuko one last mischievous glance, before diving into the shade of the Palace.

"Whatever you say, Sifu Hotman!" His voice resonated through the stone hall.

Zuko slapped his palm on his forehead, glaring at the spot where Aang had once stood, his pale cheeks tinted red.

One year of teasing, playful bantering and occasional quiet moments when they confided in each other, and as each day passed, Zuko felt more and more like he'd acquired a new, younger, annoying sibling.

He shook his head with a disbelieving grin -which soon turned into a grimace, as guilt stretched in his usual spot -right above his stomach- like some sort of malicious cat.

* * *

><p><em>"It sure looks like he's starting to have some trouble, brother."<em>

_Her smirk was cold and deadly. Just like her, really._

_"Stay out of this, Azula," he growled, trying to move around her, for she was blocking his path._

_"I'm just saying. Father won't be happy if the Avatar starts to have his doubts."_

_He stopped dead on his tracks, glaring at her._

_"Aang is not having any doubts. Leave him alone, I can handle it."_

_Her evil smile was even broader on her scarlet red lips. He long talon-like nails tapped her crossed arms._

_"Sure thing, Zuzu," she turned around to leave. "Though I'm saying it for you, really. _I_ won't be the one to take the fall in case we lose the Avatar."_

_Her brother gritted his teeth, pretending her words didn't trigger shivers of apprehension to run all over his body.  
><em>

* * *

><p>Aang didn't take a nap, as he'd promised.<p>

He didn't even sit on his bed, actually, though he _did _go to his room.

The window stood completely open, the Airbender sitting in front of it, staring up into the stark blue sky with a pensive look.

Truth was, he didn't _want_ to sleep. He always ended up thrashing around, the covers tangled around him and drenched with sweat, result of anguish and hot weather combined.

He couldn't pinpoint what it was about his dreams that made his heart pound as if in fear, the adrenaline rush through his veins, as if... As if he was in danger. He just knew he would proably go crazy if it kept going on like this.

He sighed as he folded a white sheet of paper in his hands one, two, three times, smoothing out the wrinkles and straightening the edges.

A small paper airplane sat on the palm of his hand, by the time he was done; he looked out to the roofs of the Caldera city, the walls of the Palace and the people running about their business in the courtyards. He threw the airplane.

It was a nice throw; the plane glided for a moment, drawing a wide arc in the air, before it started to fall... And then caught an Airbender-made current that lifted it up again.

Up and around, swirling against the blue, making a somersault and then spinning up until it was only a small white dot in the distance... And then down again.  
>A couple maids had their noses in the air, and Aang would have smiled, if he'd still cared about impressing the maids.<p>

As it was, he only cared about the paper airplane, and how utterly _free_ it looked, just flying up and away, with nothing to bind him to the ground.

* * *

><p><strong>AN cont'd:** Oh, almost forgot. Both the title of the fic and the chapter titles come straight from the song Paper Moon, that happens to be one of the endings of the anime Soul Eater.

Of course, the whole thing being in Japanese, I had to resort to translations. Several translations, in fact, as I don't speak Japanese -YET!-... And I won't lie to you: most of the time I picked the translation that better suited my plot needs which might not always be the most accurate one.

Alas, take it as poetic license, if you want!

And, oh, the translations come really from all over the place so it would be pretty impossible for me to cite a source... Just know they're not mine.

As isn't Avatar and all his characters and the song etc.

You see, I barely own anything, here!

_(Also, reviews make authors happy and more prolific. Just a note!)  
><em>


	2. If you call for me, I will find you,

**A/N: **Oh, wow, it's been... Uh, _a month._ Ever had the particular scene you need to finish the chapter in your head, exactly as you want it, and yet you can't bring yourself to write it. Yes, _that _happened.

It also may be that I'm running purely on my own stubborness and my want to tell this story/prove myself I can finish a longfic.  
><em>Hint, hint, <em>reviews might make it better.

For anyone tuning in, here's the other side of the story! Aang has been in the Fire Nation, but what have Sokka and Katara been up to?

Also, **Story Information That Might Be Quite Important**: Aang has been broken out of the iceberg exactly _one year _early, meaning that Sozin Comet hasn't arrivet yet... And that in this fic he's thirteen while Katara is fourteen, Sokka fifteen and Zuko sixteen.

I must say, I wrinkled my nose in changing the age difference between everyone and Aang, but it had to be done for plot sake.

* * *

><p><strong>2.<strong>

_If you call for me, I will find you, my dear,  
>No matter where you are,<br>I'll release you from your curse._

The Head Housekeeper of the Royal Fire Palace surveyed the row of girls, her brows tight in a frown over her eagle-like eyes, which matched her nose similar to a beak.

Taking count of the line of her mouth -so thin it almost disappeared when she pursed her lips in disapproval like she was doing now- Katara had decided that, yes, the woman most certainly looked like some sort of giant bird. Maybe the distant cousin of a vulture-bat.

The Watertribe girl stood in her place in the middle of the line, her deep burgundy outfit matching the ones of the seven other girls standing at her sides. Their backs stood straight, their chins slightly bent so as to look at everyone from down up. Never speaking unless spoken to. Submissive, always.

In other words, maids-in-training.

To her relief, some of them had skin so tan it could almost compare to her own. None of them had blue eyes, but Katara hoped the Head Housekeeper wouldn't notice. Not too much, at least.

"You are not to speak to anyone of the family, or any of the guests, unless expressively asked a question. You are not to make too much noise while doing your work. You are to do it quickly and thoroughly. No slacking. And do not -under any circumstances- discuss the orders a noble has given you." She stopped briefly, as if to consider her own words. "However... _extravagant _they may be."

The old bat stopped right in front of her.

"You. With the blue eyes."

_Crap._

She regarded her as one might look at a bug crawling the floor you just finished to scrub. Or had your maids-in-training scrub.

The Head Housekeeper's eyes narrowed. "Where are you from?"

Katara's blood chilled and her heart picked up just a little bit, but not a shadow passed on her face.

"From the colonies, ma'am."

The older woman nodded gravely. "Thought so," she said, shaking her head in deep disapproval. "I told them they were setting the standards too low. First they start hiring out of the Capital, now _this._"

The Head Housekeeper turned to glare at Katara. "Try not to... attract too much attention, understood?"

Katara gritted her teeth and struggled to keep her expression blank.  
>"Yes, ma'am."<p>

The woman nodded and went along on her inspection of the trainees. She also picked up her rant about discipline and quietness where she'd left it, straightening necklines, pockets and loose strands of hair as she went.

Katara let out a slow breath of relief and went back to stare right ahead, without really seeing anything that was in front of her.

That had been a close call. Her fists tightened in their place on the small of her back. She most definitely could _not_ let herself screw this up. Not now.

It had taken her and Sokka too much to arrive where they were. After the last Fire Nation raid occurred to their village, the siblings had finally realized what a foolish thing it was, for them, to just wait in the loneliness of the South Pole without any protection.

They had been fortunate enough when the soldiers hadn't realized that Katara was a Waterbender; they couldn't push their luck.

So her brother and her had taken away, on their simple canoe at first; on a proper Water Tribe ship when they had the chance to run into Bato, months later.

Their destination had been the North Pole: surely their sister tribe would do anything in their power to help them, right? And the fact that Katara would have the chance to learn some legit Waterbending while she was there wasn't all that bad, either.

Oh, well, it hadn't been a nice walk in the the tundra, but she had made it in the end. She still smirked at the memory of how she'd managed to hold her ground in front of the man who would become her master and convince him she was worthy of being trained -despite the fact that she was a girl.

Though she liked to think of it more as '_because_ she was a girl'.

She wiped the smirk off her face just in time before the old hag could catch sight of the infamous expression.

Infiltrating the Fire Nation hadn't been easy, either, but they'd done that too. Frankly, by now, '_it's not easy' _had stopped being such a deterrent for Sokka and Katara.

And even '_it's utterly impossible_'wouldn't have stopped her, when it came to the reason why they were here at this time.

To endure the constant discrimination and the haughty looks that weighted down on her, the constant, slight fear of being discovered hovering over them... It would all be worth it. She had to believe it.

It was then that a sudden movement and a flash of white drew her attention upward.

And she saw it.

It was nothing she had expected to see in the middle of a Fire Nation Palace. It flew against the blue, cloudless sky, twirling around in impossible acrobatics that seemed to make fun of gravity.

A paper airplane.

The shadow of a smile was blooming on her lips, but she kept it restrained, allowing it to pass only briefly on her controlled features.

She spotted a thin figure, looking out of one of the windows of the higher floors, its hand making lazy and wide movements, to which the little airplane seemed to respond, like a puppet to its master.

And just as his pale skin and dark hair came into focus, he retreated, dropping his hands in what looked like defeat. The paper airplane fell with them.

It glided down, down, down in wide circles, and landed on the dusty path right in front of the rows of maids in training.

This time, Katara let the smile linger a little longer.

_I found you, finally._

* * *

><p>The air always seemed to become a little more breathable in the evenings, Katara noted as she crossed the courtyard quickly.<p>

Red banners floated in the slight breeze, red insigna was painted on the walls... The sky itself was red, burning as the sun died behind the horizon.

The hooded figure was standing by the Palace's gates, half-hidden in the shadow. He actually didn't need to hide -there wasn't anything sordid about what they were doing: just an older brother visiting his sister who worked in the Palace.

Still, some habits died hard.

"Bet you're boiling to your death under that cape!"

Sokka raised his eyes as Katara approached him with a smirk. He scowled at her, sniffing in disdain.

"That's none of your business!" he said. "And I'll have you know, this is a necessary precaution!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "No, it isn't. It's safe, Sokka. As far as they know, we have nothing to hide."

Sokka looked around warily and shot her a serious look. "It's not safe," he said.

Katara shuffled her feet and shrugged. "I know. But you'll just attract more attention if you keep acting so secretively. Now," she reached up and pulled the hood of his cape down, to reveal his tan face and dark hair pulled in a wolf-tail. She put out her arms and cocked her head. "hug me like you're happy to see me."

Her brother rolled his eyes and pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight for a moment. "Silly. You know I _am_ happy to see you."

Katara smiled against the dark fabric of his cape. "I'd like to have that in writing," she muttered.

Sokka pulled back with an indignant expression. "Hey! I'm not the hormonal teenage girl, here."

Katara raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes glittering with annoyance. A year ago she would have Waterbended at him. And she would have now, too, if hadn't been in the middle of the Fire Nation.

"What do hormones have to do with anything? Just because I'm a girl, it doesn't mean everything I do is hormone-related!" she snapped, instead. "Plus, _I'm_ not the one wearing a wool cape during _summer._"

Sokka snorted and pulled at the ties of his cape, taking it off hastily and uncovering his dark red disguise. "Blasted cape... Here, I took it off. Happy, now?"

Katara stood in front of him, arms crossed, a scowl hiding her amused expression. "Yes, thank you. Just looking at that thing made me sweat!"

They stared at each other for a long moment, and Katara had to keep herself from grinning. She'd gone under cover in the Palace less than a week ago, and yet it had been enough for her to start missing him. Not that she'd ever tell him, of course.

He hadn't been able to follow her, this time, and had to settle for a place in a thrift shop just outside the walls.

It wasn't so strange, after all: Sokka had been with her literally since day one, and finding herself suddenly without him had left her a little shaken, almost as if the ground had suddenly been slipped from under her feet.

Even their bickering -which at times made very little sense and was more for the sake of arguing than anything else- was familiar and welcome, now.

"So," said Sokka, breaking the hostile silence. "Didn't this happy little visit have a purpose? Any news?"

He saw Katara's eyes suddenly widen at his words, and a bright smile stretch on her face. He took it as a yes.

She looked around, as if to make sure they really were alone, and stepped closer to him, excitement shining in her eyes.  
>"I think I found him, Sokka," she whispered, the grin still wide on her face. "The Avatar! He's in the Palace, I think they're holding him captive and-"<p>

"Hang on!" Sokka raised his hands, as if to stop his sister's words from reaching him. He bit the inside of his cheek warily.

It had been a while since he'd seen Katara so... Alight. She seemed to be shining with anticipation and nervousness, something he hadn't seen in quite a while.

Sure, it sparked from time to time, just under the surface of her expression, or when he managed to make her laugh, or when she was Waterbending... But know it shone right out of her eyes, making them look even bluer than usual.

"Just a question: the guy's an all-powerful, kick-ass spirit, correct? Just tell me one more time exactly _why _he hasn't broken out by himself."

Katara rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, Sokka, _I don't know! _Maybe they're holding something against him, maybe... maybe he just needs help!"

He wasn't looking at her; his gaze was lost in space, deep in thought. "And nobody's given it to him," he said, almost to himself.

The ghost of a smile pulled at Katara's lips. "Not until now," she countered.

Sokka remained silent for a long moment, and his sister looked pleadingly at him.  
>"Sokka, come on! We've come all this way! You knew what we were doing all along, why are you pulling back now?"<p>

The warrior shook his head and looked up at her, shrugging. "You're right. I just... I'm having a weird feeling about this. Maybe I'm just paranoid."

Katara smiled. "Who, you? Paranoid? No way."

"Haha. Very funny," he said, his voice dripping sarcasm.

Katara's smile subsided, as she bent her head to meet his eyes. She regarded him seriously. "You know we have to get him out. He's our only chance."

Sokka sighed and managed a smile. "I know. I just hope everything goes well, sis."

Katara's gaze was steady and sure. "It will. I know it."

The voices of the other maids calling her made Katara spin around quickly. She was out of time, and the sky was slowly turning a deep indigo, the light of the sunset growing dimmer and dimmer. She hugged her brother quickly and they made plans to meet in the same spot in seven days. Then, she gathered the skirt of her burgundy uniform and hurried inside, where her act would start once again.

Just ouside the Palace's gates, half-hidden in the shadow, Sokka silently wished he had at least half of his sister's confidence in the future.


End file.
